1917 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
	$ – Conference champion; There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.;

1917 Alabama Crimson Tide football
1917 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1917 record	5–2–1 (3–1–1 SIAA)
Head coach	Thomas Kelley (3rd season);
Captain	Jack Hovater
Home stadium	University Field; Rickwood Field; Soldiers Field
	Seasons ← 1916 1918 →

The 1917 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1917 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 25th overall and 22nd season as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The team was led by head coach Thomas Kelley, in his third year, and played their home games at University Field in Tuscaloosa, at Rickwood Field in Birmingham and at Soldiers Field in Montgomery, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins, two losses and one tie (5–2–1 overall, 3–1–1 in the SIAA).

Game summaries[]

Alabama's 1917 season opener against the "Second Ambulance Company of Ohio" at Soldiers Field in Montgomery was the only game the Crimson Tide ever played at that location. The 2nd, which was part of the 37th Division training in Montgomery, only got two first downs.

Alabama opened the season with four consecutive, shutout victories over the Second Ambulance Company, Marion Military Institute, Mississippi College and Ole Miss.^[1] In those four games, Alabama outscored their opponents by a margin of 130 to 0.^[2] After a tie against Sewanee and a loss to Vanderbilt at Rickwood Field, Alabama won their only road game at Kentucky.^[2]

In the season finale, Camp Gordon, the second military opponent Alabama faced as the country mobilized for World War I, beat the Tide 19–6. Camp Gordon had several players with college experience, including Adrian Van de Graaff, formerly of Alabama.^[3]

Joe Sewell, who went on to a Hall of Fame baseball career with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees, lettered in football for Alabama in 1917, 1918 and 1919.^[4]

Schedule[]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
October 3	Second Ambulance Company of Ohio*	Soldiers Field Montgomery, AL	W 7–0	^[5]
October 12	Marion Military Institute*	University Field Tuscaloosa, AL	W 13–0	^[6]
October 20	Mississippi College	University Field Tuscaloosa, AL	W 46–0	^[7]
October 26	Ole Miss	University Field Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	W 64–0	^[8]
November 3	Sewanee	Rickwood Field Birmingham, AL	T 3–3	^[9]
November 10	Vanderbilt	Rickwood Field Birmingham, AL	L 2–7	^[10]
November 17	at Kentucky	Stoll Field Lexington, KY	W 27–0	^[11]
November 29	Camp Gordon*	Rickwood Field Birmingham, AL	L 6–19	^[12]
*Non-conference game

Source: Rolltide.com: 1917 Alabama football schedule^[2]

Personnel[]

Varsity letter winners[]

Player	Hometown	Position
Robert C. Brown	Ensley, Alabama	Back
Elmer Blair	Birmingham, Alabama	Back
Alfred Morgan "Dan" Boone	Samantha, Alabama	End
James H. “Dink” Hagan	Mobile, Alabama	Quarterback
Walter E. Hovater	Russellville, Alabama	Back
Ralph Lee Jones		Guard
Mullie Lenoir	Marlin, Texas	Halfback
Joseph Allen Lowman	Birmingham, Alabama	End
John Phillip Noland	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Ike Rogers	Vina, Alabama	Tackle
Tram Sessions	Birmingham, Alabama	Center
Joe Sewell	Titus, Alabama	Halfback
Riggs Stephenson	Akron, Alabama	Fullback
Max Frederick Stowers	Attalla, Alabama	Quarterback
C. S. Whittlesley	Opelika, Alabama	Guard
Reference:^[13]

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Seasons at Alabama	Alma Mater
Thomas Kelly	Head coach	3
Reference:^[14]

References[]

General

"1917 Season Recap" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.

Specific

^ 1917 Season Recap
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "1917 Alabama football archive". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
^ 1917 game recaps Archived 2012-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
^ Entry at the Paul W. Bryant Museum Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Alabama wins from heavier Ohio team". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 4, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Alabama scores two touchdowns on Marion Cadets". The Birmingham News. October 13, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Alabama defeats Mississippians by large score". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 21, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ole Miss downed by Alabama by score of 64 to 0". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 27, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Alabama and Sewanee tied". The Journal and Tribune. November 4, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Gritty Commodores fight their way to victory". Nashville Banner. November 11, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Alabama's 'Thin Red Line' too thick for Kentucky Wildcats". The Lexington Herald. November 18, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Gordon steam rollers win over Thin Red Line". The Atlanta Constitution. November 30, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "All-Time Tide Football Lettermen". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 127–141.
^ "All-Time Assistant Coaches". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 142–143.

[a1-1] 1917 Season Recap

[1917schedule-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "1917 Alabama football archive". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[3] 1917 game recaps Archived 2012-06-04 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Entry at the Paul W. Bryant Museum Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine

[1917Ohio1-5] "Alabama wins from heavier Ohio team". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 4, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917Marion1-6] "Alabama scores two touchdowns on Marion Cadets". The Birmingham News. October 13, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917MC1-7] "Alabama defeats Mississippians by large score". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 21, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917OleMiss1-8] "Ole Miss downed by Alabama by score of 64 to 0". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 27, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917Sewanee1-9] "Alabama and Sewanee tied". The Journal and Tribune. November 4, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917Vanderbilt1-10] "Gritty Commodores fight their way to victory". Nashville Banner. November 11, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917Lexington1-11] "Alabama's 'Thin Red Line' too thick for Kentucky Wildcats". The Lexington Herald. November 18, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[1917Gordon1-12] "Gordon steam rollers win over Thin Red Line". The Atlanta Constitution. November 30, 1917. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "All-Time Tide Football Lettermen". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 127–141.

[14] "All-Time Assistant Coaches". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 142–143.

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1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
v t	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Georgia Tech $	4	–	0	–	0	9	–	0	–	0
Auburn	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	2	–	1
Clemson	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	2	–	0
Centre	1	–	0	–	0	7	–	1	–	0
Mississippi A&M	3	–	1	–	0	6	–	1	–	0
Alabama	3	–	1	–	1	5	–	2	–	1
Sewanee	4	–	2	–	1	5	–	2	–	1
Tulane	2	–	1	–	0	5	–	3	–	0
Vanderbilt	3	–	2	–	0	5	–	3	–	0
LSU	2	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
South Carolina	2	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
Wofford	1	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Furman	1	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
Florida	1	–	3	–	0	2	–	4	–	0
Ole Miss	1	–	4	–	0	1	–	4	–	1
The Citadel	0	–	2	–	0	3	–	3	–	0
Howard (AL)	0	–	3	–	0	0	–	3	–	0
Mississippi College	0	–	4	–	0	0	–	4	–	0

$ – Conference champion There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.